Heretofore, exterior and interior residential doors have been manufactured with various structures. For example, such doors may be manufactured from solid wood planks. Alternatively, the planks may be milled to form solid wood stiles, rails, and panels that are fitted and secured to each other.
The production of solid and milled wood doors requires the stockpiling and use of a large quantity of very expensive, high-quality wood. With the depletion of the world's old-growth forests, such wood is becoming prohibitively expensive and difficult to acquire and store. In addition, such doors do not provide an effective insulating barrier.
Heavy sheets of thick glass may also be used to either create the door or to replace one or more milled panels therein. The use or placement of glass within a door significantly decreases the energy efficiency of the door.
Some doors have a composite exterior plastic or metal skin which is overlaid upon and applied to solid wood stiles and rails. Such doors have a hollow interior core and are not very energy efficient.
Another variation of door structure is to encapsulate a thin sheet of batten fiberglass or foam insulating material within the otherwise hollow core. Solid wood stiles and rails are again used about the perimeter or periphery of the door. The fiberglass or foam insulating material is juxtaposed between a thin outer and inner exterior plastic or metal skin.
If a raised panel design is desired, a compression press is used to indent both the outer skin and the insulating material to form the desired design. Although this manufacturing process produces a door having admirable energy conserving capabilities, the end product typically has a thin, stretched plastic or metal surface which is not aesthetically appealing.
Such laminated, thin skinned doors are significantly different from a traditional stainable wooden door. The perimeter of such doors reveals either sharp plastic edges or folded metal edges. Such composite doors do not have the appearance, sound, or weight that is expected of a high-quality wooden door.
The following disclosures relate to various types of known door structures and methods for manufacture thereof: Weyant (U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,424; issued Nov. 22, 1966); Charles (U.S. Pat. No. 3,334,464; issued Aug. 8, 1967); Bainter et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,969,868; issued Jul. 20, 1976); Imperial et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,588; issued Oct. 26, 1976); Bursk (U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,511; issued Jul. 12, 1977); Weyant (U.S. Pat. No. 4,064,655; issued Dec. 27, 1977); Governale (U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,319; issued Sep. 19, 1978); Day et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,004; issued Apr. 3, 1979); Seely (U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,876; issued May 8, 1979); Teleskivi (U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,687; issued Aug. 11, 1981); Andresen (U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,055; issued Oct. 13, 1981); Green et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,918; issued Dec. 26, 1989); and Strom et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,292; issued Jun. 4, 1991).
The inventor believes that the cited disclosures taken alone or in combination neither anticipate nor render obvious the present invention. The foregoing citation does not constitute an admission that such disclosures are relevant or material to the present claims. Rather, the disclosures relate only to the general field of the invention and are cited as constituting the closest art of which the inventor is aware.